Trolley-catch.



PATENTED DEC. 18, 1906.

W. A. OATBS.

TROLLEY CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED APE.5,1904.

2 SHBETS-BHEET 1.

8815s IN vslvron A TTORNEY W/TNE THE mamas PETERS co., WASHINGTON. o c,

PATENTED DEC. 18, 1906.

W; A. GATES.

TROLLEY CATCH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEETZ.

1n: mamas PETERS co., WASHINGTON, p. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1906.

Application filed April 5, 1904. Serial No. 201,714-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM A. OATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented and discovered a new and useful Improvement in Trolley-Catches and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in trolley-catches; and the objects of my im provement are .to construct a casing or housing to which the trolley-wheel is pivoted and devices for operating the trolley-wheel, located partly within the casing or housing, and to provide means for automatically detaining thetrolley-wheel adjacent to the trolley-wire when the trolley-wheel becomes detached from the wire and to readily and quickly replace the trolley-wheel in contact with the trolley-wire, reference being made to the accompanying drawings and to the reference characters marked thereon.

The invention consists, essentially, in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, shown upon the drawings appended hereto, and specifically pointed out in the claims made a part hereof.

I attain these objects by the construction and arrangement of the several parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation of aportion of the top of a trolley-car, parts of the car broken away, a trolley-pole pivotally fastened at one end to the top of the car, the opposite end of the pole secured to the casing or housing to which the trclleywheel, by means of a lever, is pivotally secured, also shown in elevation, and the cord or rope for limiting the upward movement of the trolleywheel when displaced from the trolley-wire shown in elevation, both in full and dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, showing the casing or housing, the trolley-wheel and devices for operating the same, and the trolley-wheel illustrated to place upon the trolley-wire. Fig. 3 is a like view to that shown upon Fig. 2, partly in section and partly in elevation, showing the casing or housing, the trolleywheel and devices for operating the same,

of the pole 2.

and the trolley-wheel illustrated displaced from the trolley-wire. tive view'of the trolley-wheel lever removed from the casing or housing Fig. 5 is a per spective view of parts of my improvement, and Fig. 6 shows views injelevation and plan of portions of my improved device.

Similar reference characters prefer to like parts throughout theiseveral views.

The reference-numeral 1 denotes the top of the car, to which the trolley-pole 2 is pivoted in the usual manner.

3 indicates the collar near the pivoted end 4 indicates the spiral spring upon the pole 2, resting at one end upon and secured to the fixed collar 3 and the opposite end fastened to the sliding adjustable collar 5, adapted to slide on the trolley-pole 2. Upon the trolleypole 2 is also secured a movable and fixed collar 6 a short distance above the sliding collar 5. The movable and fixed collar 6 is held in place upon the trolley-pole 2 by means of a thumb-screw 7 or equivalent device.

To the sliding collar 5, extending toward Fig. 4 is a perspec-J the free end of the trolley-pole on the under side thereof, is an arm 8, having forks 9 9, between which the pulley 10 is journaled and over which the trolley rope or cord 11 travels, one end thereof being fastened to the movable and fixed collar 6 and the opposite end of said rope or cord 11 secured to the rear end of the car in any suitable manner within reach of the conductor or person in charge of the car. The rope or cord 11 passes over the pulley 12, journaled between the outer ends 13 and 14 of the levcrs 13 and 14, (shown upon Figs. 2, 3, and 5 of the drawings,) the said pulley being journaled upon the pin 15. (Illustrated upon Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings.) The said levers 13 and 14 near the ends thereof are provided with seats 13 and 14. In one of said seats 14 one end of the spring 14 is seated, as illustrated upon Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The opposite end'of said spring is retained within the seat'1'4, formed upon the inner face of the casing or housing 18. Another spring, identical with the spring 14', (not necessary to be shown,) one end ofwhich rests in the seat 13 of the lever 13, shown upon Fig. 5 of the drawings,) while the oppo site end is retained in a seat corres' onding with the seat 14, formed upon t e'inneiif face of the casing or housing 18.

17'is a rod connecting levers 13 and 14 and extending beyond the sides of the same.

The trolley-lever 16 has a rod 19 extending through from side to side of the same and is adapted to lie upon top of levers 13 and 14.

Between the outer forked ends 21 and 22 the trolley-wheel lever 16 (shown upon Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings) is secured upon the pin or rod 20, the trolley-wheel 24 being j ournaled in the outer end of the trolleywheel lever 16 upon the pin 20, as illustrated upon the last-mentioned two figures of the drawings.

Upon the upper face of the inner end of the said trolley-wheel lever 16 is the seat 25, in which one end of the spiral spring 26 rests, while the opposite end of said spiral spring 26 is located in the seat 27 upon the inner face of the casing or housing 18.

Projecting downward from the under face of the trolley-wheel lever 16, about in line with the rod 19,'is the yoke 28, provided with an opening 29 therein, through which opening 29 the rope or cord 11 is adapted to slide or be drawn, said rope or cord having secured thereon the bell-shaped thimble 30, which serves adouble purposeavoiding friction and also acting as a stop to retain the thimble and that portion of the cord or rope 11 to which it is fixed within the casing 18 when the said thimble and cord are drawn through the opening 31 of the stop 32, formed and made a part of the said casing.

The trolley-wheel 24, being journaled between the forks 22 and 21 of the lever 16, descends against the tension of the spiral spring 26, when the rope or cord 11 tightens or is drawn through the opening 31 in the yoke 28 until the end of the thimble 30 rests against the stop 32 of the casing.

hen the trolley-wheel 24 is by accident removed or displaced from the trolley-wire 2, it at first takes the position relative to the wire shown upon Fig. 3 of the drawings. As soon as the spring 4 contracts, as illustrated in dotted lines upon Fig. 1 of the drawings, the trolley-wheel 24 assumes the position illustrated in dotted lines upon Fig. 1 of the drawings; the cord or rope 11. tightens; the upward pressure of the trolley-wheel 24 against the trolley-wire 2 is removed; the inner end of the trolley-wheel lever 16 within the casing descends; the expansive force of the spring 26 carries the yoke 28, secured to the inner end of the trolley -wheel lever 16, downward, and the thimble 30, fastened to the said cord or rope, passes through the opening 31 in the stop 32 until the thimble and the trolley-wheel are in the positions illustrated in dotted lines upon Fig. 1 of the drawings.

It will readily appear from the foregoing description, when read in connection with the drawings hereto appended and made a part of the specification and claims, what is the operation of my invention, and further description of the manner of operating my improvement is deemed unnecessary.

It is obvious that many variations and changes in the details of construction and arrangement of my invention would readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and still be within the spirit and scope of my improvement.

I do not desire to confine this invention to the specific construction, combination, and arrangement of parts herein shown and described, and the right is reserved to make all changes in and modifications of the same as come within the spirit of this invention but I do desire to secure as my invention all features of construction and equivalents thereof that come within the scope of my improvement as herein shown and described, and illustrated. upon the drawings appended hereto.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A trolley-catch comprising a casing provided with a stop having an opening therein, a trolley'wheel lever, a trolleywheel journaled to said lever, trolley-cord levers pivoted to and within the casing, a trolley-cord provided with a thimble secured thereon adapted to be engaged by said stop.

2. A trolley-catch comprising a casing having a stop with an opening therein, a trolleywheel lever, a trolley-wheel, trolley-cord levers journaled to and within said casing, a trolley-cord, a bell-shaped thimble secured to said cord adapted to engage said stop and means for automatically returning the said levers into position after having been operated upon by said cord.

3. A trolleycatch comprising a casing adapted to receive a trolley-pole, a stop forming a part of said casing and having an opening therein, a trolley-wheel lever, a trolleywheel journaled in the end of said lever, trolley-cord levers journaled to said. casing and being within said casing, means for retaining the inner ends of said levers in parallel positions relative to the casing, and a trolleycord provided with a thimble secured thereon.

4. A trolley-catch comprising a casing adapted to receive a trolley-pole, a stop made integral with said casing and provided with an opening therein, a trolley-wheel lever having a depending yoke secured thereon and provided with an opening therein, a trolleywheel journaled in the end of said lever, trolley-cord levers journaled to said casing and having a pulley journaled in the ends thereof, means for retaining the inner ends of said trolley-cord levers in parallel positions re'lative to the casing and trolley-pole, and a trolley-cord having a bell-shaped thimble secured thereon adapted to move within the opening in said yoke and to pass through the opening in said stop and to contact With said stop after passing through the same.

5. A trolley-catch comprising a casing, a trolley-pole secured Within the end of said casing having fixed adjustable and sliding collars upon the pivoted end thereof, and means for retaining the sliding collar at a distance from the fixed collar, a stop made a part of said casing and having an opening therein, a trolley-wheel lever, a tro11ey-Wheel ournaled in the end thereof, said lever having a yoke depending from the under face thereof and provided with an opening therein, trolley-cord levers journaled to said casing and having a pulley journaled in the ends thereof, means 

